First Cabinet

Took a woodworking class this weekend, learning how to make cabinets. By the end of the class we completed a 15”x20” cabinet made of China Birch (carcass), Baltic Birch (drawer) , Poplar (face frame, drawer front and door) and some 1/4” MDF for the drawer bottom. The class was at Woodcraft in Fort Worth, TX and was limited to 4 students. The class was great and the instructor, John, was a great teacher. It costs $225 this time around, but was definitely worth that much if not more!

The carcass was made using pocket hole’s (Kreg Jig) and consists of 3 large pieces (bottom and sides). Two stretchers were inserted at the back and one in the front, all using pocket holes and glue to mount.

The face from was also built using pocket hole joinery both to build it and attach it to the carcass.

The drawer gave me my introduction to routing. The box was built using Baltic Birch and a Freud Drawer Lock bit and glue. Once setup, they were also brad nailed to hold while the glue dried. The front of the drawer is made of Poplar and was rounded using a round over bit. The tops of the drawer was also rounded over.

The door is a raised panel door, made of Poplar, gotta love the green! You can see the routing done to the styles and rails in the 3rd picture. The styles and rails were attached with glue.

Overall the 2 days of class were great, and I highly suggest you check out your local Woodcraft for some classes! The final resting place will be on casters in my garage as a rolling mount for my Craftsman Scrollsaw.

-- It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.